Being the amazing, true-to-life adventures and (very likely) misadventures of a writer who seeks to take his education, activism and seemingly boundless energy to North Minneapolis, (NoMi) to help with a process of turning a rapidly revitalizing neighborhood into something approaching Urban Utopia. I am here to be near my child. From 02/08 to 06/15 this blog pushed free speech to the envelope, so others could take heart and speak unafraid. Email me at hoffjohnw@gmail.com

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Creative stock photo, (a Cherokee casino in Oklahoma) blogpost by John Hoff
Kris Brogan (who I've never heard of outside of city council races) is the only candidate foolish enough to run against City Council President Barb Johnson and may God have mercy on Brogan's soul. Former "candidate for everything" Troy Parker has apparently learned a lifetime of hard lessons and doesn't appear to be running for anything at the moment.

Photo from Facebook page of Demetrius Harper (MeadyNeverenough Harper) used under First Amendment FairComment and Criticism, blog post by John Hoff
It's a small hood after all.

Though I've written a couple of articles about the two men killed at an illegal "after hours" Northside club, click here and here, it turns out I have a personal connection with homicide victim Demetrius (Meady) Harper and didn't even realize it...

Photos, blog post by John Hoff
It happened a couple weeks ago, but the end of such a notorious property can't pass by unremarked. The house and detached garage at 2222 4th St. N. have been demolished.

The hovel in question was owned by notorious North Minneapolis slumlord Mahmood Khan, but now the owner is listed as Hennepin County Forfeited Land. The property became infamous when murder victim Annshalike Hamilton, 15, was found in the garage.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Creative stock photo, a bar and grill called "Daytona's" in Des Moines, Iowa, blog post by John Hoff
A number of mainstream media entities have reported on a fatal hit-and-run at Fremont and 21st Ave. N. on March 23, and subsequent charges against Perry Bernard Atkins. Click here for example.

Stock photo, army combat medic training, blogpost by John Hoff
I have been informed by the Hennepin County Prosecutor that Anthony John Ellis, who slashed the face of Park Commissioner Jon Olson while acting stupid and intoxicated, has pled guilty in the attack. No plea deal was offered; Ellis simply elected to do the right thing and save everybody the trouble of a trial. This is the first solid act of good citizenship I've heard of by Anthony Ellis and I can only hope he rehabilitates himself and emerges a better person. More than once I've been told this action was "out of character" for Ellis.

I should add that I met Jon Olson a couple weeks ago at Tootie's. Olson's wounds have healed amazingly well due to the...

Ms. Moreland was involved in the theft of a mink coat which, incredibly, she managed to hide in her underwear for three days while in police custody. The story garnered Moreland brief fame on the bigger, wider internet. But I'd never seen the criminal complaint associated with the story, so I decided to go looking and see if it was true, that this woman hid a mink coat in her underwear for three days while in police custody.

I found the story was not only true, but a wealth of bizarre details existed. To facilitate shoplifting the mink coat, Moreland utilized underwear with the seat portion removed.

The resolution was so popular that council members besides Don Samuels wanted their names added as co-authors. Even ultra-progressive Cam Gordon, who is often a dissenting voice on many matters before the Public Safety Committee, signed on to the resolution.

More important than the fact our city council is able to perceive the injustice of sex offender concentration is the fact our Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (which was involved in drafting and researching the resolution) has apparently been given a "green light" when it comes to...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff
The Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights will be presenting a resolution today on the subject of sex offender concentration in North Minneapolis. Click here for a copy of the resolution.

Any resolution under consideration by the city council requires a city council sponsor. The sponsor of this resolution is Fifth Ward City Councilman (and mayoral candidate) Don Samuels. This is more than a "North Minneapolis" resolution. Statistics show that sex offenders seek out their victims within 10 miles of their home, and all of Hennepin County has more than its fair share of sex offenders even though the predatory lion's share reside in the 55411 and 55412 zip code. We are getting offenders from other states, as a matter of fact.

KSTP already did a good story about this proposed resolution, but watch Johnny Northside Dot Com for further details.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Photo by John Hoff, Haywood Eaton shooting, blogpost by John Hoff
I know it's hard to keep straight all the shootings, and memorials to shootings, and shootings at memorials to shootings, so let me break it down and make it plain.

A few years ago, a young man named Haywood Eaton was shot and killed at Broadway and Bryant Ave. N. by another young man named Denell Malone. Neither of these two young men was better than the other, it was just fate that Malone got the drop on Eaton rather than...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff
I don't know how long this car actually sat where I found it, on 27th Ave. N. between Morgan and Newton, on the south side of the street, but I first saw it Saturday evening, which would have been March 16. By today, March 18, its presence was getting tiresome...

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The endless saga of 2222 4th St. N. looks to be coming to an end. As early as 2009, neighbors thought the house would soon be demolished by slumlord Mahmoud Khan (he of the eight units and one smoke detector) fought a court battle to save the property. He lost.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff
According to a criminal complaint against Rashid Hakim Hill, a couple of men were driving around the vicinity of 40th Ave. N. and Humboldt Ave. N. when one of the men recognized a guy known as "Tip Top."

Apparently neither of them knew "Tip Top's" real name, but that was just fine. Tip Top was allowed to get into their vehicle, a Chevy Impala.

Cynical Northsider that I am, I can't help but think this sounds like these two men were...

TRYING TO SCORE SOME DOPE IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS.

Well, in any case, Hill got inside the Impala and soon pulled out a gun and put it to the head of one victim...

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff
According to a criminal complaint by Hennepin County prosecutors, click here, a man named Chase Daymonejeffrey (sic) Dent-Wells was not a very good boyfriend. He was so bad, in fact, that when a young woman dumped him Dent-Wells proceeded to trash her on Facebook, call her repeatedly, and sent angry text messages.

Dent-Wells showed up at the woman's home at 4 in the morning and knocked on a downstairs window, asking to be let in. The young woman let him in, probably figuring Dent-Wells just wanted to talk and, well, there had been a time when they had a thing for each other, obviously...

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff
Not far from the scene of a double homicide at an illegal "after hours club," an armed man named Jelani Abiola Jernigan (DOB 3/24/87) held off police for several hours. Click here for previous blog article.

Any connection between Jernigan and the club shooting is purely speculative at this point. Maybe Jernigan just heard people shooting and thought, "Hey, that's fun, I would also like to shoot off my gun. I will just step out here to the front yard of 3807 Aldrich Ave. N."

Please don't take this for sarcasm, dear reader. It's actually not. I will warn you with the "sarcasm font" when it's sarcasm.

Anyway...

Even if there's no connection between Jernigan and the club shooting, Northsiders are still asking, "Who is this guy? What was his deal, anyway?"

Photo from Facebook profile of Demetrius Haper,used under First Amendment Fair Comment and Criticism

The Star Tribune is reporting the name of one victim in the "after hours club" shooting at 3859 Fremont Ave. N. is Erick Felton, who is the son of the ex-husband of Monique White; the homeowner who fought to save her house from foreclosure with help from the Occupy Movement. As of this moment, the Strib doesn't have the name of the second victim (or if they do, they haven't confirmed it enough to publish the name) but they're reporting his nickname is "Meaty" and he's in his 30s, the father of "several" children.

Photo of a garden gnome in old Butter Roll Bakery building,blog post by John Hoff
Saying it would discourage filings by "frivolous candidates" (Roger Smithrud, cough cough) the Minneapolis Charter Commission recently approved an increase in fees to run for public office, click here for Strib article.

Running for Park Board will now cost (Roger Smithrud) $50 instead of $20. A run for mayor will now cost (Smithrud) $500 instead of $20. And running for a council seat will cost $250 instead of $20. (For Roger Smithrud)

Barry Clegg, the chair of the commission, said the idea was to weed out the frivolous candidates (Roger Smithrud) but to keep the filing fee reasonable for a "legitimate" candidate. (Anybody but Smithrud)

JNS blog would like to point out that running for Soil And Water Conservation District Supervisor still appears to be a great bargain and all that political power is still pretty much up for grabs. Also, this particular job is actually much closer to the sort of tasks for which garden gnomes are well-suited.

I'm just saying.

I would add, however:

Don't laugh, Lennie Chism, because Roger Smithrud still beat you in a five man race.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Stock photo, blog post by John HoffThe Star Tribune blog and numerous participants in the North Talk Facebook forum are discussing the police standoff at 3807 Aldrich Ave. N., which (last I heard) is still going on right this moment. There is an armed man inside and police have the house surrounded, with a wide area cordoned off disrupting normal traffic, normal lives, and school bus routes.

Facebook image used under First Amendment Fair Comment and Criticism,(Copyright? We don't need no stinking copyright!) blog post by John HoffTwenty-two hours ago, a participant on North Talk Facebook page was all, like, "Gee, we haven't had a murder for a while in North Minneapolis."

To which I replied, "AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Don't say that. You will jinx us."

After the rape, the victim managed to drive to a Conoco gas station at 641 Broadway St. NE where police were called. An examination and "rape kit" was performed at Hennepin County Medical Center. The victim was able to describe the suspect but no suspect was arrested. Years went by, and no suspect was arrested. One speculates the victim may have entirely lost hope the man who did this would ever by apprehended.

However, in April of 2009 police managed to link the defendant to the DNA in the semen from the 1996 rape...

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Creative stock photo, blog post by John Hoff
WCCO as well as other media recently covered the arrests of three "Loud Pack" gang members; Dementry Loyd, 19, Montrelle Collins, 20, and Marlon Collins, 21. The charges include burglary and shooting into a woman's house while she was running inside with her children. The three actually shouted the words "Loud Pack" as they ran from the scene of the house shooting.

One can't help but wonder where these three psychopaths were on the night of the shooting of 3-year-old Terrell Mayes.

This isn't the first time Marlon Collins has been featured on this blog. I wrote about Marlon Collins on Christmas Eve of last year when...

Monday, March 4, 2013

Contributed photo, 1564 Hillside Ave. N. around the time it wassold for an inflated sum, blog post by John Hoff
John Foster and Melony Michaels, who were the victims of a mortgage fraud scheme involving 1564 Hillside Ave. N. (pictured above) and one other property, have won a civil suit filed against participants in the scheme. Click here to read the entire Order For Damages, issued recently by the Honorable Judge Mel Dickstein.

After a long and difficult struggle, this judgment is a massive victory and may very well be the largest civil judgment ever won by a victim of mortgage fraud. (That is entirely speculative, and if anybody can ferret out contrary information please post it) While the civil suit was complicated enough, the shocking facts in the criminal case tumbled injuriously like a dum dum bullet and gave rise to...

I've seen three media reports on the recent fire at 4425 Aldrich Ave. N. and every one of those reports pussy-foots all around the ownership of the building. Mahmood Khan is one of the most notorious slumlords in North Minneapolis, the bane of our neighborhood revitalization. According to even these PUSSY FOOTED media reports, the house in question (which is NOT pictured above, that's ANOTHER shitty Khan property) was carved into eight different apartments.

Creative stock photo, blog post by John HoffAs I announced some days ago, JNS blog will now publish the jail roster around "pay day" at the beginning of each month. The idea is the roster date will be rooted in a rational strategy of capturing the data of (allegedly) bad actors, rather than a random day around the 23rd of each month.